Clogged sink?

NASTYYYYY!!!! My sink gets clogged every now and then, I usually use drano. This time around, I tried and it didn't work very well. Draining was still pretty slow, so I tried the old fashioned vinegar and baking soda which worked for a while but now my sink is slow once again.





I just tried the plunger and this gross slimey looking stuff was coming out of the drain, yuck! Does anyone know what it is? Guess I have to call the plumber :(

Clogged sink?
I think I can help!





I used to manage maintenance at a large apartment complex and I have dealt with this problem many times.





The stuff that is stuck in your drain is a mixture of hair, makeup, styling products, dead skin, and who know what else. REALLY gross! So, if you can avoid it, you don't want to pull the p-trap off, as this will make you deal with that slimey black stuff (once had one of my guys pull a 6 foot glob of hair and **** from under the sink of some women's apartment, and the smell was so bad the guy actually passed out!!!). You might not have any alternative but to try that method, but there is one thing you can try first that usually works unless you have some 6 foot monster dwelling in your pipes.





If you have a sink drain plug that has the puller behind the faucet that you pull up to stop the drain, there is something you can do. If you look under your sink at the back side of the straight pipe the comes out of the bottom of your sink, look for a place where the puller from up above comes down and connects to a peice of bar that goes into the pipe. Right where that bar goes into the pipe should be a place the you can unscrew that will allow you to pull the bar out. It should be connected to a plastic ball the creates the seal between the inside of the pipe and the outside and also allows the puller to move up and down. The little plug in the bottom of your sink is connected to this bar on the inside of the pipe. Hair wraps around that bar and over time accumulates and tangles, until it creates a large enough mass to cause your drain to slow. Loosen the peice that holds the bar that I described before. Pull the bar out far enough to allow you to pull the drain plug out. Be careful not pull it too far out and make sure you note where everything goes so you can put it back together properly. Once you pull out the plug, look at the bottom of it. There should be a hole or place for the bar to go that allows the bar to make it go up and down. Remember how that goes so you can replace it properly. Now look down the drain. You should be able to see the bar. Check to if it has hair on it if it is still sticking into the pipe. If you have pulled it out far enough or jiggled it just right, the hair mass should have fallen off. Plug the whole down their or screw the bar back in and try putting water in to see if you can clear out the drain. If that was a big part of the problem, you should be able to run water through your sink and get the glob to drain out. Now put everything back together, making sure your drain still works properly.





If that doesn't help, you will have to pull your p-trap off. You will have to clean the trap out and should run a snake a couple feet into the drain pipe where it goes into the wall. Caution!!! Be prepared with a bucket and plenty of rags or paper towels. This will be messy and smelly! Don't let any of the black goop get on anything! Wear rubber gloves too. Seriously stinky stuff. Reminds me of the mud that would come from the bottom of some stagnant frog pond....





Good luck!
Reply:that stuff is probably grease mixed with what ever else you been putting in there. Don't put grease, oil, or anything like that in your sink. try running really hot water in the sink for a while. if that don't work, you need someone to snake it out for you.
Reply:yes you been allowing fats to go down your sink this gradully clogs things up,check under your sink to see if there is a plug at the bottom of your trap,if there is take it out and clean out the trap,if there is no plug then i sugest you call a plumber and in future try to be more carefull what you put down your drains,to prevent it keep re acuring
Reply:i would just replace the trap. its not that hard. if it keeps clogging that bad, you either need to clean the trap or replace. both are nasty fixes, but relacing the trap is less nasty and then you know what you got. just put a small bucket under it when you do. way cheaper than a plumber!
Reply:This is an accumulation %26amp; breakdown of food. Best thing to do is to keep up the routine with the plunger while running hot water. Afterwhich, thoroughly clean your sink (comet, bleach) before using it. You'll have to do this a few times...you may not have proper gravity drainage which causes your water to back up.





If this is your kitchen sink with the disposal, when you're using it, run hot water and let that disposal churn for a good 30-45 seconds. This way, your waste will have a better chance of being pulverized.
Reply:Rent a "snake" from Home Depot.
Reply:Suggestion: Don't use any acid type drain cleaner. It'll eat up your pipes and could cause you serious burns if in contact. If the clog is just in your kitchen sink, and none others (toilet, bath, drain, etc.) then the restriction is local. If you call a plumber, they will snake that section perhaps from under the sink or the vent. However, if you own a house and have not done a maintenance on your house pipes at all, it would be worth your while to have the plumber snake (clear) the main sections also. More than likely you have restrictions in your bathroom sinks and showers also.



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